Tidying Up Loose Ends

I began yesterday's effort with the purchase of a 6-ft length of 3/8" reinforced clear plastic hosing for the PSS packing.  I drilled a hole through the bulkhead which enabled me to pass the hose from the packing into the engine compartment through the bilge, then up and through the bulkhead and up to end beside the anti-siphon valve.  This represented an increase of 2.5 ft to the height of the end of the hose.  When I tested the setup under reverse gear I could see the column of water pulsating up and down but never closer than 6" to the end of the hose.

I then spent 30 minutes repairing a broken piece of wood on the engine cover base then spent another hour tidying up the wiring harnesses between the engine and the instruments.  This has opened the way to moving stores back into the port quarter berth and the closet behind the navigation table.

I then did a sticky tape test that Mark had suggested to overcome the problem that when the engine cover is closed and latched down we can't really see if the coolant tank is making contact with the insulation of the engine cover.  I put some masking tape along the edge of the tank, sticky side out, and put another strip of tape - again sticky side out - on the inside of the engine cover where it would face the tank.   I then slid the cover into position and latched it down.  If there was any contact the two pieces of tape would be joined when I slid the cover back.  Well, they didn't join, indicating that the engine cover is totally clear of the engine.  (Yippee!)

In the afternoon I visited a place named BMC that specializes in fittings and hoses.  They put together an oil-rated half-inch hose 18" long on a fitting that will allow me to screw it to the sump oil extraction pump.  I fitted the hose over the smaller oil extraction tube on the engine, used a clamp to tighten the hose around the tube, and found that I had a good seal.  Thus I am set up for the first oil change.

This morning I telephoned Victor about a visit that he was supposed to make to fix a wiring problem on Pachuca.  He had wired the engine directly to the bus bars which meant that it could be started even when both main switches were off.  This represented an unacceptable security risk.  I met him and his helper Mario an hour later and he spent 30 minutes making the correction.  In the end the system worked as it is supposed to: when the switch to the "starter" bank is off the engine and its cockpit control panel are dead.

I offered to pay Victor for his time on the fix-up visit but he would not have it.  I then pointed out where the envelope was containing the 1200 pesos that he had billed me and he had forgotten that I had not paid him for his first visit.  As usual no receipt was exchanged for the cash.

I will devote tomorrow to preparing the boat for a sea trial on Friday.  Joel has agreed to go on the trial which I expect to take about an our out on the water.  We will run the boat through its paces and will do some speed/rpm trials to assess the compatibility of the new engine with the old propeller.